Posted on Jun 28, 2015
SPC Makissa Lewis
11K
39
61
4
4
0
How can we make this happen? What are your thoughts about free college/university education?
Posted in these groups: Education logo Higher EducationFreedom Freedom5a9f5691 College
Avatar feed
Responses: 24
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
6
6
0
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

(Many) Colleges and Universities are Profit driven organizations, and as such the idea of creating "free" Post-secondary education would require a restructuring of how we finance education in the US.

The money has to come from somewhere. It will either come from the individual attending college, or from society as a whole. Currently we use the individual method. "Free" just means converting to society as a whole.

The issue with that, is all the existing "college debt" that exists. Should I & My wife have to pay for our own college debt, plus future generations, or will be be credited back all that invested money? What about people who have already cleared their debt? As you can see, the concept went from "simple" to "amazingly complex" in 3 paragraphs.

Add in those that don't attend college, or those who fail classes, or those who are better suited for tradeschools, etc.

College is not for everyone, despite the propaganda.

And that's before you get to the Constitutional issues, of whether the Federal Government should even be involved in the Education gain beyond a "referee" level.
(6)
Comment
(0)
Capt Retired
Capt (Join to see)
9 y
Nothing is free. The professors, the custodians, and everyone else gets paid. They do not volunteer. Books, buildings, labs, supplies, etc etc.

If the educationh is FREE where does all of the money to do this come from?
(1)
Reply
(0)
SFC PATRIOT Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer
SFC (Join to see)
9 y
But public high school and grammar school is acceptable. But not public secondary education?
As a society, we only have a responsibility to educate people up to a point but then if more education is needed its on the individual?

I strongly believe college is not needed for many - probably half of the jobs out there don't need college, maybe a skilled training, but not necessarily a 4 year degree.

With that said, as I continue to pay student loans for a contract I agreed to, I'd throw in some tax money for our society to publicly education past high school.

I however believe the education system should be overhauled and fixed - especially before public money gets put into colleges. The federal requirements, testing, accreditations, teacher unions, resources - the entire educational complex should be fixed dramatically before we could add another level of education into the system.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
9 y
SFC (Join to see) It's not that Secondary School is acceptable and Post-Secondary is unacceptable, it is that they are different models. Secondary school is built on a Public Funded model (though there are private options). Post-Secondary is built on a Private Funded model exclusively in the US.

That is the major difference between the two. Now if we want to expand Secondary INTO Post-Secondary (to say the AA/AS level or even the BA/BS level) we need to account for adjusting that Model.
(1)
Reply
(0)
SFC PATRIOT Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer
SFC (Join to see)
9 y
You are very true
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad
3
3
0
Edited 9 y ago
I think the concept of a free college/university education is fantastic. However, we all know that there is no such thing as "free" ... so who's stuck with the bill? The taxpayer, of course. And we all know how that works --- as soon as colleges/universities can start billing the government (aka the taxpayer), they will. Naturally, the cost of all this free education will suddenly be even more expensive (because, after all, Uncle Sam has very deep pockets ... or so we're told). And, don't forget that we will also need a new government bureaucracy to administer the "free" college/university program. You think a college/university education is expensive now? See what happens when you make it "free" ...
(3)
Comment
(0)
CPL Carolyn L. Day
CPL Carolyn L. Day
9 y
NO, NO, NO, now you know how people treat FREE programs. aren't you tired of paying for WELFARE, W2, SSI, & FOOD STAMP. That's why YOUR SALARY is so low.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Maj Bruce Miller
Maj Bruce Miller
7 mo
"Higher Education" will only be free if professors volunteer their time to teach, support staff volunteer their time to keeping the university operating, utilities provide power/gas at no cost, books and other required teaching aids are donated to the university and...well....you get the picture. There is no such thing as 'free'. And as mentioned, if the government pays for it, two things are guaranteed to happen....
1. Costs will spiral out of control and
2. The quality of education will decline to the point that many 'graduates' will be functionally illiterate.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
SPC Combat Engineer
2
2
0
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about free education. Of course, it will provide some people with the opportunity to study because nowadays, the prices for tuition are very high. But on the other side, people value something when they have to pay for it. Free education can make students more relaxed, and they will care less about it. Right now, I'm working on one paper connected to that topic, and I found this page https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/college-should-be-free-argumentative-essay/, which provides some useful and interesting information on that issue. I've already had something written, but after reading this info, I have new ideas. So maybe after finishing that paper, I'll have an exact opinion.
(2)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

close